National Parks of Utah

As a teacher, I am privileged to have breaks throughout the year to help aid my travel and hiking addiction. I have a fall break, winter break and spring break. During my fall break, October 2019, I decided to do a road trip to Utah to visit the 5 national parks, and top it off with a two nights in Vegas. It was busy, but always worth it.

Truthfully, I have a love/hate relationship with fall break. Any break really. I love it because, as a teacher, I can reset my mind with clarity, and show my students the amazing adventures that are out there… but on the other hand, I hate having to go back to work, having responsibility, and counting down the days until the next vacation.

My trip to Utah, though, was awesome. I happened to be there at the right time to catch Utah’s fall colors throughout all of their national parks. I spent one day in each national park, with the exception of Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands NP - I did both of those in a day. There is obviously so much to explore in each place, so for my first visit there, I primarily did the highlights or one major hike in each location.

My route: Denver -> Grand Junction -> Moab -> Hurricane -> Vegas -> Green River -> Denver

Favorite Hikes at each location:

• Dead Horse Point State Park

  • I heard the views were better than Horseshoe Bend, and I would have to agree

  • Dead Horse Point Rim Loop - 5 mile hike. You can park at the main view point and walk from there. The views are killer, great photo opportunities!

• Canyonlands National Park

  • Mesa Arch Trail - Easy 1/2 mile hike, but heavily packed with crowds. Get there early if you want any pictures with no one in them. This was probably the one spot where I found people to be rude, disrespectful to the Leave No Trace idea, and just jump in your pictures.

  • Druid Arch Trail - 9.5 mile hike that is an out and back trail. I did not do this whole trail due to time, but it sure was a beautiful trail. Permits may be required, so check before you go!

• Arches National Park - There are a lot of trails that you can do that do not require strenuous hikes. It is also a park that you can drive to most major “hot spots”

  • Delicate Arch Trail

    • Just over 3 mile out and back hike. Steep incline going to the Arch, which makes it a moderate type of hike. Bring water if you are going in the summer - very little shade. If you are looking to do pictures at the Arch, with minimal people in your pictures, I highly recommend to do this first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds, or late evening. This would be a killer location for a milky way/night time shoot.

  • Double Arch Trail

    • Easy half mile hike. Be prepared for the obnoxious crowds at this location - heavily trafficked!

  • Balanced Rock Loop Trail

    • Easy less-than-half mile hike. Another crowded location!

  • Fiery Furnace

    • Permit needed to go into the furnace, however there is a great spot for a viewpoint and to walk around some of the area

• Bryce Canyon National Park

  • They encourage you to park at the visitor center and take the bus in. Luckily, I got one of the last few spots in Sunset Point parking lot, which was the trailhead lot for the hike I wanted.

  • Navajo Loop and Queen Garden Trail - 3 mile hike that is a loop. The hoodoo formations are breathtaking, and if you are able to be there for sunrise or sunset, do it!

  • Peakaboo Loop trail - Just over a 5 mile looped hike. There is rapid elevation change, so be prepared!

• Zion National Park

  • Get there early. Period. I was able to park at the only major parking lot in the park, the visitor center, because I got there at 7am. Otherwise, if the park is full, you will need to park in town and take the shuttle bus into the park. Once inside the park, you take

  • The Narrows - The total is about 15 miles, walking through ankle to waist deep water. You can rent dry pants, neoprene socks (keeps your feet warm, not dry), and a walking stick, but I didn’t. I had a pair of water resistant shoes, pants and my own hiking poles. The terrain of the watered trail is very rocky and uneven - be careful! Make sure you wear layers because you are walking within narrow walls with little sunlight. Also ensure you have enough snacks/food (protein bars are prime).

  • Don’t worry, Angel’s Landing is the hike for my next visit!

• Capitol Reef National Park

  • I drove from Hurricane to Capitol Reef, which was a 3.5 hour drive. I did not spend as much time in this park as I would have liked, but I was happy with the time that I had. Definitely do the scenic drive through Capitol Reef. You’ll understand why when you do it! This is what I spent most of my time doing, driving and stopping all throughout the park. It was gorgeous!

  • Sunset Point & Goosenecks Trail - 2.5 mile out and back hike. I saw many people brining picnic baskets with them to catch the sunset at this spot. It is a gorgeous area that you can watch the rocks ‘catch on fire’ during the sunset. Definitely worth it!

Air BnB Locations

• Moab - FunStays Glamping - Best Glamping I’ve done! Make sure to check the weather though, because if it’s cold, you’ll need layers to sleep in!

• Hurricane, UT - Fawcett’s Air Bnb - Great location between Bryce and Zion, and the family who lives upstairs was so nice and accommodating. They keep the price low for hikers and explorers who want to enjoy their beautiful area.

Here are some of my favorite pictures. They have been cropped and resized to fit this blog . If you are interested in any image for print, canvas, or panel designs, please feel free to contact me!

Enjoy!

-J

Scroll —> for all pictures